re: #152 Walter L. Newton

No. Earliest extend copies and fragments of Matthew and Mark were written in Greek, and probably originally written in Aramaic. John was written in Greek, although Revelations, also accredited to John, has enough variances of the Greek usage to indicate that Revelation was not written by the same “John as the Gospel.” Most of the later books were written in Greek.

Where did you get your info about the early gospels being written in Hebrew?

It’s worth recalling history (very simplistically). The common language of the western world at the time was the language of the conquerors: Greek. Judea, to be a client nation instead of nobleman’s province, had to translate its laws into Greek and had to make all official actions, written and spoken, in Greek as well. (Yeah, that bit about the Roman Soldier correcting Brian’s latin? Wrong language, funny as it is.)

If writing just for Judean Jews, it could be in Hebrew (well, of the time). If it was for just Jews, even the exiles, it might be in Hebrew. If it was being written for a group that had decided to include gentiles, it was going to be in Greek unless the writer was unable to speak and write Greek — unlikely in a literate man.